hi! i'm pretty new to the game and have only really played as a player. i've hosted two one shots as a dm, but never a full campaign. i'm running a homebrew this summer and would love some seasoned dm's advice! :)
Reread chapters 7, 9, & 10 of the PHB since most of the rules that come up often are in those three chapters.
Don’t worry about following the rules exactly. If you don’t know a rule and can’t find it in under a minute then just make a decision, and go with it. Let everyone else know that’s what you’re doing and that you’ll look up the official rule before the next session.
If you ever find yourself wondering if you’re a good DM or not, just look around your table. If everyone is having fun then you’re doing it right (even if you aren’t following the rules). The only thing that actually matters is that your players and you are having fun.
Don’t worry about making mistakes. You will make mistakes. That’s okay. Making mistakes is the best way to learn how to not make them again. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.
This is not a Dungeon Master vs. Player game. The end goal is to have fun, not to defeat the other players and vice versa.
Communicate with your Players. If one of the players is making you uncomfortable, bring it up and discuss it with them.
Be like water. You can never predict all outcomes, don't try to. If something unexpected happens, don't just decide the players can't do that, keep moving the story.
Don't let the players roll unless they can succeed. This may seem counterintuitive to these previous, but if the players have no chance of succeeding, don't let them try. It will just frustrate them.
Don't Check the Rules too often. Checking the rules too often leads to the game slowing down to a halt, if you really don't know how a mechanic works, choose whatever result you believe will be funniest for the players.
Play Music. Playing music helps set a tone, think of what you want a scene to evoke, and play a song accordingly.
Try not to remove player agency. Unless you need an event to set up the rest of the campaign, try to let the players attempt almost any action.
Peer Review. Check-in with more experienced Dungeon Masters for feedback on what you write.
Have Fun. The most important advice that can be given is to just have fun yourself. Your players will most likely follow suit.
Map Making Advice:
World Scale. Detail each continent and its defining characteristics. Include major bodies of water.
International Scale. Detail each nation, its defining characteristics, and its capitol. Include major bodies of water.
National Scale. Mark down any major cities / important landmarks. Include major bodies of water.
State/Province Scale. Mark down around 4-6 landmarks for the player. Design this with the intention of making each location interesting enough for the players to visit
Village Scale. Detail the purpose of each building, who lives in each house (if applicable). and their place in the village (i.e. Butchers House, Park)
Dungeon Scale. Create a series of about 10 - 15 encounters, assigning one to each room of the dungeon.
Gimmicks. When making a map, try to add a gimmick to set it apart from the other ones you made.
Homebrew Creation Advice:
Reference Existing Material. When creating, try to see if any existing material may fit the idea you have. If this is the case, then just reflavor the existing content.
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Before attempting anything too crazy, make sure you how the rules function in their base form.
Gimmicks. When creating homebrew, try to add a gimmick to set it apart from the other ones you made.
Reference the official guides. Guides are officially present in The Dungeon Masters Guide, and although they do give helpful information on the mechanical side of things, they are imperfect and easily fallible. The one true way to gauge whether something is balanced or not is to see it in play.
Playtesting. Playtesting is the most important thing to do with Homebrew. If you create something, try it out in play.
One overlooked tip I've come to appreciate is to lure the players into providing flavor for their actions. They cast a spell? Ask them for a short description of how it plays out. This can save you the trouble of having ot narrate everything yourself. htat's not just true of combat. Get them to name something noteworthy that happens during a travel break.
Another thing as well is learning when to say no and redirect a players energy - people get so hyped into the fun and silliness that they keep asking beyond what is realistically posible. As DMs we're constantly reinforcing the idea of 'saying yes to your players' to keep a positive energy going in the session but it is okay to say no. It's a tough line to walk between giving your players the experience they want but making sure they aren't taking too much as well. Sometimes my players have asked for insane shit, I say no and they laugh and agree it was too much. At first I felt like a bad DM by blocking their suggestion, but you can redirect it into a more rules friendly and balanced approach.
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hi! i'm pretty new to the game and have only really played as a player. i've hosted two one shots as a dm, but never a full campaign. i'm running a homebrew this summer and would love some seasoned dm's advice! :)
Welcome to the other side of the DM’s screen!!
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General Advice:
This is not a Dungeon Master vs. Player game. The end goal is to have fun, not to defeat the other players and vice versa.
Communicate with your Players. If one of the players is making you uncomfortable, bring it up and discuss it with them.
Be like water. You can never predict all outcomes, don't try to. If something unexpected happens, don't just decide the players can't do that, keep moving the story.
Don't let the players roll unless they can succeed. This may seem counterintuitive to these previous, but if the players have no chance of succeeding, don't let them try. It will just frustrate them.
Don't Check the Rules too often. Checking the rules too often leads to the game slowing down to a halt, if you really don't know how a mechanic works, choose whatever result you believe will be funniest for the players.
Play Music. Playing music helps set a tone, think of what you want a scene to evoke, and play a song accordingly.
Try not to remove player agency. Unless you need an event to set up the rest of the campaign, try to let the players attempt almost any action.
Peer Review. Check-in with more experienced Dungeon Masters for feedback on what you write.
Have Fun. The most important advice that can be given is to just have fun yourself. Your players will most likely follow suit.
Map Making Advice:
World Scale. Detail each continent and its defining characteristics. Include major bodies of water.
International Scale. Detail each nation, its defining characteristics, and its capitol. Include major bodies of water.
National Scale. Mark down any major cities / important landmarks. Include major bodies of water.
State/Province Scale. Mark down around 4-6 landmarks for the player. Design this with the intention of making each location interesting enough for the players to visit
Village Scale. Detail the purpose of each building, who lives in each house (if applicable). and their place in the village (i.e. Butchers House, Park)
Dungeon Scale. Create a series of about 10 - 15 encounters, assigning one to each room of the dungeon.
Gimmicks. When making a map, try to add a gimmick to set it apart from the other ones you made.
Homebrew Creation Advice:
Reference Existing Material. When creating, try to see if any existing material may fit the idea you have. If this is the case, then just reflavor the existing content.
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Before attempting anything too crazy, make sure you how the rules function in their base form.
Gimmicks. When creating homebrew, try to add a gimmick to set it apart from the other ones you made.
Reference the official guides. Guides are officially present in The Dungeon Masters Guide, and although they do give helpful information on the mechanical side of things, they are imperfect and easily fallible. The one true way to gauge whether something is balanced or not is to see it in play.
Playtesting. Playtesting is the most important thing to do with Homebrew. If you create something, try it out in play.
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She/her pronouns please. (=^.^=)
One overlooked tip I've come to appreciate is to lure the players into providing flavor for their actions. They cast a spell? Ask them for a short description of how it plays out. This can save you the trouble of having ot narrate everything yourself. htat's not just true of combat. Get them to name something noteworthy that happens during a travel break.
Another thing as well is learning when to say no and redirect a players energy - people get so hyped into the fun and silliness that they keep asking beyond what is realistically posible. As DMs we're constantly reinforcing the idea of 'saying yes to your players' to keep a positive energy going in the session but it is okay to say no. It's a tough line to walk between giving your players the experience they want but making sure they aren't taking too much as well. Sometimes my players have asked for insane shit, I say no and they laugh and agree it was too much. At first I felt like a bad DM by blocking their suggestion, but you can redirect it into a more rules friendly and balanced approach.